I've not read all of the posts, so this might be a repeat. There are now mid to long arm sit down machines with very large harps. They usually do a straight stitch (no zig zag) stitches. A friend got a $200 Brother from Costco. Didn't last long. IMHO, the least expensive machine that will last (new) is $500+. I love my Brother 1500S but after 20+ yrs of frequent sewing the knee lift is wearing out and can't be repaired (I'm told by the dealer). I'm ready to replace it with another Brother 1500S for around $700. I also use an 11# Brother Innovis 950D for traveling and zig zag. Between the two I can do 99% of my sewing. Then there are other machines.